Beautiful Scenario
by SweetHawthorn
Summary: A continuation of the alternate ending. A collection of one shots regarding the members of Class 0. The stories are only mildly connected.
1. Chapter 1

I've long wanted to write a collection of short stories regarding Class 0 and this is my first. Enjoy!

Don't expect any massive plot twists. I'm mainly writing them for the fluff. :D

Please R&R. I don't own any of the characters.

* * *

It was a beautiful day. The gentle temperature during the transition from spring to summer felt comfortable on the skin and the weather was clear and breezy. But to students of the Peristylium of Suzaku, the seemingly perfect weather only created a sense of longing and desperation.

As the term drew close to an end, it signaled the approaching examinations. Teachers have grown harsh in giving assignments and most of the students' free time was devoted into completing them and studying. Even as the warm breeze invited them to come out and play, most of the students were stuck in their increasingly restricting classroom, battling the tremendous pile of homework.

At least a dozen students were in Class 0's classroom that day, each fighting their inner demon to resist the temptation to go to the nearest town for an ice-cream.

Deuce furiously scratched off another misspelled word in her assignment. Despite the workload, it was not like the gentle and mild mannered girl to be so agitated. Breathing a deep sigh, she stole another glance at the scenery that completely destroyed her concentration.

The bright sunrays seeped in through the windows, casting a soft glow on Ace's platinum blonde hair. His handsome boyish features formed a serious expression on his face as his bright blue eyes scanned the book he was reading.

But no, it was not Ace that broke Deuce's concentration… well partly… but the presence of the girl beside him.

Mutsuki's small figure had recently been accustomed to accompanying Ace wherever he went, and today was not an exception. The dark haired girl was younger than anyone in Class 0 but her brains had allowed her to join the elite ranks of the top class in the Suzaku Peristylium. Her explosive demeanor had initially alienated her from most members of Class 0, but as she warmed up to them, most of her classmates had come to see her as an adorable younger sister.

Except Ace, that is.

About a month ago, Deuce had heard rumors that their class leader was dating the eccentric newcomer and ignored them. But Ace and Mutsuki's constant companionship had slowly sparked an unwelcome jealousy within Deuce.

To her own horror and distress, Deuce had found herself constantly stealing glances at the couple and wishing for their break-up. In one of her secret daydreams, she had pictured Ace having a massive fight with Mutsuki and swept Deuce away in his arms instead. To make matters worse, she had even found it hard to talk normally to Ace as her heart thumped merrily every time he was nearby. She stammered, blushed, choked on her own words and even worried on what Ace's impression of her was after every conversation they had.

'Deuce!'

Queen's sharp authoritative voice finally halted another one of train of thoughts about Ace. She turned to face the class president seated beside her. Queen eyed her carefully, obviously concerned at her classmate's disengagement. Her sharp purple eyes had such a piercing quality about them that Deuce felt as though her secret was out.

'I called you at least three times back there,' she finally said, sighing, 'I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't doodle on my assignment.'

Deuce snapped back into reality. Sure enough, in another one of her dreamy escapades, she had subconsciously drawn a wiggling line on a paper she thought to be hers.

'Oh! I'm so sorry, Queen! Let me erase them for you!' Deuce quickly took an eraser and began erasing the line she had drawn.

'You seem very detached lately,' Queen said, sounding anxious, 'care to talk about it?'

'Wha- Oh, there's nothing, really,' Deuce hurriedly said as she returned the assignment to Queen. Queen did not seem convinced, but before she could question any further, Deuce had swiftly gotten up from her seat and said, 'I'll be at the library, there's something I need to find out regarding this assignment.'

…

But Deuce did not head to the library. She had decided that her lack ability to concentrate would contribute nothing to her assignment as of now and let her feet subconsciously take her to Ace's favorite place.

The chocobo stable was a peaceful and serene place. Hardly any students have enough time and interest in chocobos to lead them there, especially at such a busy time. Deuce herself was not as big of a fan of the great yellow birds as Ace or Machina was but admired them all the same.

She sat down near a flock of young chocobos running around and began playing with them. The lively young birds proved soothing to her agitated mind but again she wondered if Ace felt the same calmness whenever he is here.

With the calm breeze blowing gently against her demure face, Deuce felt the fatigue slowly taking over her consciousness, and drifted off to sleep…

In her dreams, Deuce was standing on a vast field of blooming flowers. Ace stood some distance away, facing her. They looked at each other for a long moment before he finally held one hand out for Deuce to hold, smiling his gentle, charming smile…

'Hey, Deuce…' A familiar, gentle voice can be heard calling out her name.

She grudgingly opened her eyes, annoyed at being awoken from such a beautiful dream. But as her vision came into focus, her irritation subsided almost instantly.

Ace was crouching beside her, his eyes radiating worry and concern. And as though it was a continuation of the dream, his hand was holding hers.

'Are you okay?' he asked, concerned.

'Oh yes, I'm fine,' she said, feeling her cheeks burning, 'I must have dozed off.'

When she absent-mindedly stared at her hand which was clutched in his, Ace quickly turned pink and let it go.

'Sorry,' he said in an apologetic tone, 'you were reaching out for something in your sleep so I just took it.'

Deuce inwardly cursed their childhood relationship. Having known Ace since a young age, Deuce had often feared that their closeness was nothing more than brotherly.

'I'm surprised you were here though,' Ace said as he got up and approached a great big chocobo nearby. The huge bird almost purred at Ace's affectionate stroking. How Deuce wished that she was the chocobo…

'Well, I don't come as often as you or Machina, but I do like them.' Deuce said

Ace smiled warmly at her response. 'Not many people do,' he said, 'maybe we can go for a ride next time?'

His invitation almost made Deuce faint with glee. Fighting to keep her calm, Deuce mustered all her strength to say 'Sure!'

…

Ever since that miraculous day, Deuce found herself rushing through her homework and heading to the chocobo stables almost every afternoon. Most of the time, Ace would also be there, and it was probably the only instances whereby Deuce could catch Ace alone without Mutsuki. Occasionally, Machina, their classmate and Ace's best friend, would also join them.

Deuce felt surprisingly comfortable talking alone with Ace as they took care of chocobos, fed them and sometimes rode them. They talked about school, about lessons, about the upcoming examinations, about friends, and finally about Mutsuki.

'She's really fun to be with,' Ace remarked when the topic landed on Mutsuki one day. Deuce felt an involuntary pang of disappointment at his comment. She had wished that Ace would remark at how desperately he wanted to get out of the relationship.

Her expression must have betrayed her for Ace smiled at her and said, 'Don't make that face. You're really fun to be around too.' Deuce cannot help but smile bitterly at Ace's inability to decipher her feelings.

…

As the examinations drew nearer, Deuce found her time brutally cut so short that she has no time to visit the chocobo stables. When she noticed that Ace still found the time to make regular visits to the stables, she cursed her brains for not being as smart as his.

On the positive side, however, Deuce also noticed that Ace and Mutsuki were spending less time together, possibly because of Mutsuki's need to keep up with the workload. Being the youngest in the class obviously did not work in her favor for her studies.

…

The examinations came like a tornado; brutally ravaging every student's mind in a whirlwind of chaos and frenzy. When they were finally over, cries of celebration erupted from every corner of the Peristylium.

'YEAH!' Nine, the boisterous troublemaker of the class shouted as the final paper was handed in, 'Let's all go for a FEAST!'

'Agreed~!' Cinque, the airheaded girl chirped her agreement.

'We're gonna party all week~!' Jack, the happy-go-lucky boy remarked as the rest of the class cheered and contributed various wild ideas.

Deuce cannot help smiling at the enthusiasm and relief that her classmates were exuding. Even the silent and stoic King and the rebellious and obstinate Sice were smiling with eagerness.

…

The joyous class was the loudest customers in the Firebird that evening, the most famous restaurant in the town of Acuvi. They ordered the best delicacies, joked and laughed, chatted happily and even dared Jack to flirt with one of the waitresses. The boys roared with laughter and amazement when Jack returned with the curvy waitress' number.

They stayed behind until they were the last customers to leave before heading back to the dormitories and resuming their party at the boys' dorm. Naghi, the popular informant of Class 0, had somehow managed to use his connections to gain access to a number of bottles of alcohol.

Cinque was the first to cave in to the effects of alcohol after a couple of hours of partying. Her chestnut brown head slowly dropped on Trey's broad shoulder and a soft snore indicated that she was fast asleep. Trey sighed but nevertheless smiled as he scooped her up, laid her on a nearby bed and gently covered her with a blanket.

Not wanting to be coaxed into a drunken stupor by Eight, Jack or Naghi, Deuce silently sneaked out to the balcony as all the others' attention were turned to Trey and Cinque. It was a clear, beautiful night and the full moon shone brightly above the Suzaku Peristylium, unobstructed by any clouds. In the horizon, the towns in the Rubrum Region twinkled with lights from houses and the streets, seemingly contributing to the happy atmosphere the Peristylium was in at the moment.

As Deuce was savoring the serene scenery by herself, the door to the balcony creaked open. She instinctively turned to face her guest, worried that her absence was detected too soon by her classmates. Instead, she came face to face with Ace.

Ace had obviously sneaked out of the party as well since he quietly closed the door behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Deuce smiled at her companion and said, 'I was worried it was Jack, Eight or Naghi with their goals of making everyone drunk.'

Ace smiled at her remark and said, 'I was worried too, that's why I followed you here.'

Deuce was pleasantly surprised that Ace noticed her absence, but having grown used to hiding her feelings, she simply smiled at his words.

But this time, Ace was the one who flustered. Even in the pale moonlight, Deuce could make out his blushing face.

'Deuce…' he began, 'I wanted to tell you something…'

Deuce grew worried at his tone. _Please don't let him say that it was about Mutsuki getting jealous and that they shouldn't meet at the stables anymore,_ she silently wished as she hoped against all hope that her anxiety would not show on her face. Seeing her worried face seemed to have made Ace speechless as he swallowed his next words.

The tension between the two mounted to its peak as Ace struggled to find the words he wanted to say and Deuce stood frozen despite the warm summer air. In the few seconds that seemed like ages, Ace finally decided giving up on saying anything and, to Deuce's greatest shock, he kissed her…

It was gentle and sweet. Deuce quickly overcame the shock and reciprocated. It was not until their lips separated that the gravity of the situation seemed to hit Deuce on the head.

'…No… you must be drunk…' she stammered, 'it was alcohol… there's Mutsuki inside… we're partyi-'

'Deuce, listen.' Ace firmly cut her words, 'I'm not drunk. Mutsuki and I broke up weeks ago before the examinations.'

The news of Ace breaking up with Mutsuki drove her back to her senses. 'But… why?' Deuce asked, bewildered.

Ace flushed furiously as he answered, 'Because I realized I love you.'

How often had Deuce heard him say that in her dreams and fantasies? Yet ironically, now that he has truly said it to her, it felt like a dream. Deuce had thought of thousands of ways in which she would answer that statement and yet she found herself gaping wordlessly like a goldfish.

'I'm sorry if I gave you a shock,' Ace gently apologized, 'I understand if you need time. I won't hold it against you either if you don't feel the same way. I'm sorry that I acted without thinking.'

In her mind, Deuce was screaming that it was not Ace's fault. That her reaction was against her will. That she too loved Ace…

With a shadow of disappointment, Ace turned to return to the party. But before he could do so, Deuce's body seemed to act on her long buried feelings as she wrapped her arms around him from the back.

'Don't go…' she whispered, 'you don't realize how long I've waited… for you to say that… I really love you too, Ace…'

A gentle smile filled with relief formed on Ace's lips. He turned to face Deuce and the two locked their arms in a long awaited embrace. Deuce felt warm tears of happiness slide down her cheeks as Ace's warmth engulfed her.

Despite her theoretically more romantic fantasies of Ace's confession, Deuce cannot help but feel that this reality was the most beautiful scenario of them all…


	2. Chapter 2

It was another one of those long lectures made by Trey. The handsome blonde youth just cannot understand his classmates' limits to listening to an explanation. '…the war broke the peace treaty made…between Concordia and Lorica there have been feuds regarding…major military strategies…Rubrum was at an advantage since…' It seemed as though he was reciting the whole history book just to explain the significance of the Pax Codex, the peace treaty made between the four nations of Oriens.

'…and so, are there any questions regarding that, Cinque?' he turned to ask his classmate when he finally concluded the lecture.

But Cinque did not survive the onslaught of complex terms and historical facts. Her chestnut brown head lay unconscious among the pile of books on the table and a soft snore could faintly be heard. Sighing exasperatedly, Trey tapped her on the shoulder to wake her up.

'Ahh~ Trey? I fell asleep didn't I?' Cinque groggily asked as she rubbed her eyes.

'Cinque, you should try to concentrate more,' Trey advised, 'Kurasame had asked me to guide you through your studies for the exams, but you can't just fall asleep!'

'Sorrryyy, Trey~' Cinque said in an apologetic tone, 'I can't help it. I just don't understand all these terms and facts.'

Shaking his head in exasperation, Trey finally said, 'We'll continue tomorrow. You must be hungry. Let's go for dinner.'

…

The cafeteria proved to be a more enjoyable place for Cinque for she cheered up almost instantly. Machina, Rem, Jack, Nine, Cater, Eight and Seven were already seated there, enjoying their meal when Trey and Cinque joined in.

'So Cinque, how did your studying session go?' Rem asked.

'Horrribbbleee~' Cinque said with a comical expression on her face. This instantaneously induced laughter among the rest of their classmates for the image of Trey drawling on and on about their lessons immediately came into their mind.

'Don't be too harsh on her, Trey,' Seven said as she wiped the tears of laughter off her eyes.

'Oi, you gotten loosen up!' Nine barked at Trey, stifling his laughter.

Trey, however, was not too pleased by his classmates' reactions. _They did not seem to realize the importance of the examinations._ However, before he could embark on another long winded lecture on that importance, their attention was broken by Moglin.

'Ah there you are, Nine!' the plush-doll-like-creature said with a sigh of relief. 'Kurasame was looking for you.'

'Ku-Kurasame!?' Nine almost choked on his food. 'What for?'

'Something to do with the last assignment,' Moglin vaguely answered. This time, Trey included, the whole class burst into fits of laughter. The whole class knew that Nine had conveniently forgotten to complete their last major assignment and had handed in one which was copied from half the class by mix and matching the words on the night before the due date. The jumbled up words confused anyone who read it and the class had been waiting anxiously for the time when Kurasame pieced the puzzle together.

Taking one last bite out of his sandwich, Nine got up from his seat grudgingly, knowing that he would be awarded at least another assignment and extra lessons for his "creativity".

'Poor Nine,' Cinque remarked as Nine left the cafeteria with Moglin.

'You should worry about your grades too, Cinque,' Trey advised her again, 'You wouldn't want more assignments and extra lessons with Kurasame, don't you?'

'Nooooo…' Cinque whimpered and Trey immediately felt sorry for her. Studying may not be her forte, but Cinque does have talents outside the classroom. It would be such a waste if she was held back by her studies. 'Oh, please help me Trey~!' she pleaded, 'I don't want to be stuck with Kurasame every afternoon.'

She need not have asked, for Trey would have done all he could to help her. But that realization that struck her was indeed vital for her to put in additional efforts to her studies.

'Of course,' Trey firmly answered.

…

The days that followed were difficult times for Cinque as she struggled to keep up with her studies and assignments. Most of the time, Trey would be there to help her, except on days when he has band practice.

On one such afternoon, Cinque suddenly threw her book across the table, startling Queen and Deuce who were studying with her.

'I don't get this!' she childishly flared up, 'I'm tired of all these studying!'

'Go take a break,' Queen calmly advised her as she picked up the book that Cinque threw earlier. Cinque knew from Queen's stern tone that it was not a mere suggestion and left the library, sulking.

Not knowing where to go, Cinque wandered the hallways aimlessly until she reached a hallway where the sound of music can be heard. She tiptoed her way to the room where the music originated from and peeked through the slit at the door. Inside, she could see Jack on the drums, King on the guitar and, of course, Trey on the piano. It was a familiar song; a song Ace always sang ever since they were young. As nostalgia took over, Cinque found herself lost in a long lost sense of peace and comfort.

'Cinque?' The music stopped suddenly as Trey called out to her. Unbeknownst to herself, she had pushed the door open wider and wider that all three members of the band realized her presence.

'Ooopppss~ Sorry!' She quickly apologized, 'I didn't mean to interrupt.'

But Jack, King and Trey all smiled at her pouting face and instead invited her to come in. 'you can just come in and listen, you know~?' Jack cheerfully said.

Cinque smiled happily at the invitation and seated herself in one corner of the room. She rested her chin on both her hands and said cheerfully, 'I know that song. It's the one Ace always sings.'

'Yep~' Jack said, 'We tried getting Ace to join in as vocals but it didn't work out.'

'Such a shame,' King concurred, 'He sings well.'

The afternoon seemed to flash by in an instant as the trio played many familiar songs. Cinque would occasionally join in the singing when she knew the lyrics to the song. When practice ended, Jack told her, 'We were planning to hold a mini concert after the examinations, but it should be kept as a surprise from the rest of the class. So Cinque, please keep this to yourself~' He gave a mischievous wink as he said so and Cinque enthusiastically nodded her agreement.

After Jack and King had left the room, Cinque found herself alone with Trey. Confused, she turned to Trey and asked, 'Trey? Are you not leaving?'

'Not yet,' Trey answered, 'I like to practice some songs of my own after band sessions.'

As Trey's fingers danced on top of the piano keys, a melodious piece swept Cinque off her feet. It was a song she has never heard of before. The sweet harmonious melody seems to depict the most romantic love story ever told; not aggressive, but gentle; not fiery, yet warm. When Trey finished the piece, Cinque could not help but to applaud wildly.

'Wow, Trey~!' She exclaimed, 'That was amaaazzinngg~'

'It still needs some work,' Trey bashfully said as his cheeks turned pink. He played a few more numbers before finally leaving for the dorms with Cinque.

'You know, Trey,' Cinque began as they walked through the corridors, 'Next time, let me just watch you practice. I can't study without you either.'

Trey stopped dead on his tracks as she said so, his face burning against his will. But Cinque, completely oblivious to any romantic tensions, simply smiled innocently and asked, 'what's wrong, Trey?'

'No-It's nothing,' Trey quickly replied, 'Sure. I'll ask you along whenever we have practice.'

Cinque happily smiled back at him, 'Thank you, Trey~'

…

Studying proved to be a much easier feat now that Cinque has band practices to attend in the midst of all the lessons and assignments. Those band sessions serve to soothe her mind from the stress of the workload and she found her days to be less distressing than before.

However, with Cinque mysteriously disappearing as often as Deuce does, it was not long before their classmates noticed those unexplained escapades.

'Cinque,' Queen asked after Deuce left the classroom one day, leaving the senior girls of Class 0 in their assigned classroom, 'You and Deuce have been vanishing a lot lately. Where did you go?'

'Huh?' Cinque broke off from her daydream. She had been humming the song that Trey had played on the piano and Rem's question caught her by surprise. She did not expect anyone to notice her disappearance. 'I-uhhh… I study a lot.' Remembering her promise to Jack, she did not mention the practices.

'Study?' Cater raised an eyebrow curiously, 'with…Trey?'

'Yep~!' Cinque replied, trying her best to sound as cheerful and innocent as possible. 'Trey's helped me a lot~! Anyway, where did Deucey go?' Cinque added the last bit in the hopes of changing the topic.

'The chocobo stables,' Rem replied, stifling a giggle, 'Machina told me she goes there a lot lately.' All the girls except Cinque exchanged knowing glances at one another.

'So Deucey's got a new hobby now?' Cinque asked innocently.

As the other girls laughed at her reaction, Rem returned to the topic Cinque dreaded, 'So what's going on between you and Trey?'

'He's helping me a lot,' again Cinque replied, almost too innocently. All these focus on her and Trey are confusing her. Surely they did not think she was dating Trey like Ace and Mutsuki?

'Do you like him?' Sice casually asked with a smirk.

Normally, any other girl will go speechless at the directness of the question; but not Cinque. 'Like him? Of course I do. I like Trey, I like Ace, and I like Jack, King, Eight, Nine, Machina and everyone in Class 0.' She answered, obviously bewildered.

'But do you like him…more?' Seven asked.

Fortunately for Cinque, she was saved from the necessity of answering Seven's question by the timely appearance of Jack. The cheerful blonde youth popped his head into the classroom and waved gleefully at his classmates. 'Hey Cinque, wanna come~?'

Cinque nodded eagerly, 'Yeeaaappp~!' And within seconds, the two have disappeared before any of the other girls could protest or question them.

…

The incident was soon forgotten by Cinque in the pandemonium of the examinations and the flurry of excitement which followed the end of the examinations.

Cinque awoke on the morning after the post-examination party with a mild headache. Alcohol definitely did not suit her system. The first thing she noticed was the slouching figure of Trey, asleep in a seating position beside her bed with only his head and arms on the bed. She looked around the room and saw all of their classmates still asleep in various positions.

Cater lay sprawled on one of the beds with one hand seemingly punching Queen who was sleeping beside her; Jack and Carla were sleeping on the floor at the center of the room with their mouths wide open; Nine was snoring loudly from the armchair at the corner of the room; Deuce slept with her head leaning on Ace's shoulder and their hands interlocked; Naghi lay face down on one of the beds with his knees still on the floor; King was asleep in a seating position at one corner of the room with his arms crossed; Rem and Machina were in the same position that Cinque and Trey were in except they were holding hands; Mutsuki was asleep leaning against Ryid's huge figure, looking like a doll in contrast; Quon slept in an almost too proper position on one of the beds, facing the ceiling with his hands on his chest, that he seemed almost like a corpse; Sice and Seven slept on one bed each; Eight was curled on the floor.

Unable to resist the urge to laugh at the oddity of the situation, Cinque let out a burst of laughter before covering her own mouth so as to refrain from waking anyone up. Trey stirred at the sudden outburst, but it took a few minutes for him to fully open his eyes and face Cinque.

'What's the matter, Cinque?' he asked groggily.

'Look~ look~' Cinque whispered excitedly, pointing at all the weird positions their classmates were sleeping in. Trey cannot help but smile an amused smile at the rare scenery.

'Just for the fun of it, let's wake them up with a bang.' Trey said mischievously.

'How, how~?' Cinque's eyes widened with excitement.

Trey frowned as he contemplated the best way to make this prank a success. He then remembered the dozen mandragoras they have caught on their last field trip. Quietly sneaking out of the dormitory, Cinque and Trey made their way to the lab where the plant-like monsters were kept. Each mandragora was about half their height with root-like tentacles and an ugly face. Taking four mandragoras with them, Trey and Cinque stealthily made their way back to the dormitory, being extra careful so as not to attract the attention of any teacher or commander.

Back in the dormitory, they stood by the entrance, and with an affirmative nod, they opened the cages simultaneously. The four mandragoras, excited by their sudden freedom, sprang out of the cages and wrecked havoc within the room. Cinque and Trey quickly made their exit and stood peeping through a slit at the door, watching their masterpiece being set in motion.

In an instant, every student in the room was awoken by the frenzied mandragoras. One of them pulled Queen's hair; another wrapped its tentacles around Eight's leg; the other two jumped around pulling blankets and curtains. In one swift movement, Ace summoned his cards and pierced two of them, instantly freeing Queen and Eight. Seven swung her whip sword around one of them and King fired his gun at the last.

Once the chaos has subsided, all eyes scanned the room for the source of the commotion. Cinque and Trey had innocently rejoined the group in the midst of the frenzy.

'What was that all about, oi!' Nine roared. Seeing Nine's hysteric reaction, everyone soon burst out laughing.

As the girls left for their own dormitory and the boys were busy cleaning up, King whispered to Trey, 'Next time, try using flans instead.'

…

The day came for Jack, King and Trey's mini concert. They held it in the fountain plaza, setting up a small stage on one side of the fountain. People flocked as they played hit songs and favorite classics. Some audiences would also come forward and sing on the stage with them, including Naghi, Cater and Cinque. Even Kurasame stopped by to watch.

As the concert drew to a close, Trey announced that he would like to play a solo piece. It was the song Cinque heard the first time she attended their practice. The beautiful melody made the audience speechless as they quietly savored the piece. With the setting sun at the background, there was no better atmosphere to perform the music in.

The applause for the group at the end of their concert was thunderous. Their hard works have paid off. Cinque accompanied the trio as they packed their instruments and congratulated them on their success.

'That was soooo awesome~!' Cinque said, 'Congraatttsss~'

'Thanks, Cinque~!' Jack grinned at her. King grunted his agreement as he nodded appreciatively.

After the two had left, leaving Cinque and Trey alone under the starry skies, Cinque said again, 'Hey Trey, that piece was already perfect~'

'Thank you, Cinque,' Trey said, smiling.

'You know Trey?' Cinque said as she swung back and forth on her heels, 'I like you. I really, really like you.'

Trey almost dropped his keyboard. 'Wha-Ci…Cinque?'

'You're always so nice to me and you have such an amazing talent~' Cinque said, still smiling innocently.

Trey cannot help but smile at her innocence and child-like personality. They were one of Cinque's most endearing traits and Trey did not want it to disappear just yet.

'I like you too, Cinque,' he replied affectionately, 'I really, really like you too.'

Cinque smiled her brightest smile at his reply.


	3. Chapter 3

There are no pairings in this chapter. This is only setting up for the next story whereby they go on a vacation. Just some fun intermission.

* * *

As the end of the term approaches, various holiday plans were made and discussed everywhere in the Peristylium. Students excitedly boasted of long planned trips, family surprises and friend visits. Most of the students were leaving the Peristylium for the holidays; back to their respective families. This list, however, did not include the twelve senior members of Class 0; namely Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen and King.

The twelve of them were orphaned since a young age and were taken in by the Peristylium. They were subsequently groomed to be the elite candidates of Class 0 that they are now. The Headmaster, Khalia Chival VI, was like a father and mentor figure to them.*

But the lack of a home to return to did not dampen the spirits of the students of Class 0. In fact, many ideas were being thrown around regarding what they can do during the long awaited break.

'Let's go to the beach, oi!' Nine exclaimed from the corner of the classroom.

'Let's go on a trip to some other country!' Cater piped in.

'Let's visit Remcchi's house~!' Cinque suggested happily.

'Let's go camping~! We can have a campfire~!' Jack cheerfully said.

'Let's see… There's enough time for all of that. So no worries, I guess,' Queen said, carefully eyeing her daily planner.

'There are still examination results yet to be announced!' Trey said worriedly, but the rest of the class, excluding Queen, simply laughed it off.

It turned out that the class had been right about not worrying about the results. Everyone in Class 0 passed, even Jack, Cinque and Nine. Ace, as usual, was the top scorer, much to Queen and Trey's dismay.

…

The time soon came for the rest of the students to go home. They bid their farewells to Machina, Rem, Quon, Ryid, Mutsuki, Naghi and Carla, each promising to bring some souvenirs.

'I'll bring lots and lots of food next term,' Rem promised.

'Hey Ace, take care of Chichiri for me,' Machina said to his best friend.

'Ahhh… two whole months without the library….' Quon sighed gloomily whilst Nine and Jack gagged at his remark.

'I'll bring you souvenirs from Genbu,' Ryid, the half-Lorican, said, 'I'll be visiting relatives there.'

'I assure you I'll have more goods to sell next term!' Carla exclaimed to which the rest of the class rolled their eyes. They were simply not interested in her overpriced "magical goods".

'I know you guys are gonna desperately miss me,' Naghi confidently announced with a wink.

'See you guys next term!' Mutsuki cheerfully said. And to Deuce's utter jealousy, she gave Ace a quick hug before leaving.

…

The Peristylium was painfully desolate at times like this. Instead of making their way back to the dormitories, the remaining members of Class 0 made their way to their private backyard where they had a picnic lunch.

'We should plan our holiday properly,' Queen suggested as she took a bite out of her sandwich, 'especially, if we want to go to some other country.'

'Hmm….' Cater contemplated, 'Let's leave next week! For Concordia!' There was a general murmur of agreement and Queen dutifully wrote the plan down on her planner.

'We've got to tell the Headmaster, book an airship, plan an itinerary, and…' Queen rapidly listed all the necessary steps and precautions they have to take before going on the trip, but no one was listening too intently. They were too used to having all that taken care of by Queen.

They spent the whole afternoon lazing around at the backyard, talking, joking and laughing. Queen left them for an hour or so to inform the Headmaster and make all the necessary arrangements. When she came back, their holiday trip was already settled.

'It's all set,' she informed her classmates, 'the airship's ready and we've got a place to stay at Mahamayuri for a week. Oh, and the Headmaster wants to have dinner with us tonight.' Cheers erupted for the class president for her efficiency and soon they were chatting about all the things they could do in Concordia.

…

Dinner with the Headmaster was a warm and fuzzy meal, almost like a real family dinner. They told Khalia of all the plans they have made and invited him to join in their trips. He chuckled at their enthusiasm but gently refused.

'You know I can't leave the country for a holiday,' Khalia said thoughtfully, smiling at his foster children, 'I am glad you asked though.' The class nodded in understanding but failed to completely hide their disappointment. Having a nation's leader as a foster parent clearly has its disadvantages.

'We'll send you photos and postcards,' Deuce said and the rest of the class voiced their agreement, offering to send all kinds of items from official Concordian souvenirs to dragons' scales and claws.

…

Over the next few days, Class 0 busied themselves with packing and buying various kinds of items in preparation for their trip. Queen had somehow gotten hold of an extraordinarily large trunk which held the most complete array of daily and emergency needs from tidbits, to toiletries, to outerwear, a first-aid kit, travel pamphlets, emergency food, water and many more. Cinque, on the other hand, had at least half a dozen stuffed toys in her trunk which Queen forced her to leave behind when she could not fit her clothes in.

On the boys' side, Jack debated with Eight as to whether or not they should bring a few "illegal" magazines which he had gotten from Naghi, whilst Trey faced the dilemma of his life when his trunk allowed him to fit only three extra books on top of his clothes.

After much confusion, chaos and disarray, they were finally set to leave.

…

_*In the alternate ending, Arecia left Oriens, so I decided to alter the story to make Khalia the parental figure instead. It seems weird for students with similar code names to have come from different families, so I stuck with the idea of them being groomed by the government._


	4. Chapter 4

So here it is 48's story while the class is on vacation. I need some help in deciding which pairing should I do though. NinexSice or NinexQueen. I liked NinexSice because of the novel but I think the game hints more on NinexQueen (with Quon in the background).

* * *

'Guuuyssssss!' Cater excitedly called out to the class who were seated in the lounge of the airship. 'You can see Concordia already~!'

Hurriedly, her classmates rushed towards the deck to view the scenery. Concordia, unlike Rubrum, was located at the top of the highest mountains of Oriens. With the clouds partly covering the towns and cities, the whole country looked as though it was built in the sky. Dragons soared freely above Concordia, with and without riders. The people of Concordia are well known for their mysterious ability to communicate with dragons and dragons could in fact be considered citizens of Concordia.

'It's beautiful!' Deuce whispered. Ace gripped her hand tightly, smiling as he too savored the magical scenery.

Eight smirked at the couple and found his eyes darting reflexively to the redheaded girl standing at the front of the deck. He recalled the incident several months ago which had been the pivotal point in their relationship…

'_I'll catch you!' Eight had shouted from the bottom of the balcony. Unfortunately, he had failed miserably at catching the jumping Cater._ That was embarrassing, _Eight bitterly thought as he picked himself up from the ground. _

'_Are you all right?' he asked as he extended a hand to help Cater up. _

_Cater groaned a little but said, 'Yeah, I think so.'_

'_Sorry about that,' Eight apologized, his face blushing, 'you probably could have landed on your own without my help.'_

_Cater looked at him thoughtfully before smiling cheerfully as usual, 'Yep probably. But I'm glad you made an effort to help me. Ah! Sorry, Eight! I gotta hurry! There's that test I have to rush to!' And before Eight could process what she had said, the energetic girl had disappeared round a corner._

…

_A few days later, Cater had approached Eight with a bright smile plastered on her face. 'I did it! That test I was late to the other day? I passed it! Heh, I knew I could do it even though I was late.' She said as she clenched her fist victoriously. _

'_Wow! Congrats!' Eight congratulated her. He was silently glad that Cater had taken the trouble to inform him. _

'_You know, I'd like to apologize too about landing on you the other day,' Cater said, 'And since I just passed my test, let me treat you to a meal!'_

…

_The two visited a cozy café in Acuvi and chatted the whole afternoon. Eight truly enjoyed Cater's company. She was a lively and cheerful girl and she told a whole load of funny stories. By the end of the afternoon, Eight had finally confessed to her._

'_Cater, I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?' Eight said as he felt his whole face, up to even his ears, burning fervently. His heartbeat seemed to have tripled in rate as he eyed the surprised Cater. Cater herself turned as red as her hair and after a momentary silence, she firmly nodded._

They had kept their relationship secret even up until the trip to avoid their classmates' teasing. Besides, the hectic schedule of the examinations had forbidden them to do anything more than go on walks, meals or study sessions together around the school.

_This is my chance to go on a memorable date,_ Eight thought as the capital of Concordia, Mahamayuri, came into sight.

…

The gorgeous city of Mahamayuri looked like an enchanted castle atop the clouds from afar. Dragons circled the skies, adding to the ethereal quality. As their airship landed at Mahamayuri, they were greeted by a beautiful lady with blue hair.

'Welcome, Class 0,' she said serenely. Like all citizens of Concordia, she was physically shorter than any of the members of Class 0. However, her grace and dignified appearance had prevented her presence from becoming diminished. 'My name is Claes Celestia Misca Sancest, knight of Concordia. Master Khalia of Rubrum has informed our Queen of your stay and it shall be my honor to be your guide here.'

Deuce smiled at her and said, 'Please, there's no need for the formalities.'

'Yeah, we can all be friends, yo!' Nine exclaimed.

Celestia could not resist the urge to smile at his antics.

…

They were taken to a beautiful inn which overlooked the valleys beyond Mahamayuri. From the balconies of their rooms, they truly felt like they lived in sky. The girls could not contain their excitement and squealed with glee as they happily took pictures of the mythical scenery. The boys laughed at them but joined in the enthusiasm anyway.

After a short break of washing up, unpacking and resting, the excited class decided to take an evening stroll nearby the inn. There happened to be a bazaar being held a few blocks away and they took the chance to visit it. Cater, Nine, Jack and Cinque immediately cheered at the sight of the bazaar and hoarded on as much food as they could carry.

While walking around the bazaar, Eight chanced upon a pretty pendant made out of blue crystalline rock carved out in the shape of an apple and quickly purchased it along with a silvery chain. He had remembered Cater's favorite fruit, as well as the memories of them plucking apples off a tree when they were young. Pleased with his find, Eight rejoined the group while suppressing his excitement at giving the necklace to Cater.

They retired to the inn early that night for the journey had worn them out. As they walked, the whole class chatted animatedly about all the things that they have bought at the bazaar. Trey talked about a book about dragons he had found; Ace found a pack of cards with Concordian patterns on the back; Seven has gotten herself a pretty bracelet while Sice boasted of her new dragons' hide boots. Eight, however, was silently looking for the chance to talk to Cater alone.

When his attempts failed, Eight returned to the boys' room disappointed. But, that night, as he remembered the necklace buried safe in his pocket, he fell asleep with a smile.

…

During the days that followed, Class 0 had toured round Mahamayuri, visited a few villages outside and even rode on dragons. Their first dragon flying experience happened three days after they have arrived in Concordia. Having went to every nook and corner of Mahamayuri, they decided on touring the nearby villages. Celestia had then arranged for dragons to be their main mode of transportation for those visits.

'Considering the mountainous terrain of Concordia, it's far more practical to use dragons as compared to chocobos,' she explained.

Six dragons were quickly arranged to be brought near the inn. 'Don't worry about steering, they know the way. Just don't let go of the reins.' Celestia instructed as she helped them get on board the dragons, pair by pair.

Ace and Deuce automatically climbed one together. Watching them snuggle comfortably on top of the dragon made Eight somewhat jealous that his relationship with Cater was still kept a secret. While he watched Jack and Seven climb on another dragon, he felt his hand being pulled by someone.

'Let's get on one!' Cater said excitedly. Pleasantly surprised, Eight turned a shade of pink as he let Cater drag him away.

Cater sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, making Eight turn a shade of red darker. He was silently grateful that their classmates were busy watching Queen voice her insecurity at having Nine for a partner.

As the dragons took off to the skies, Eight finally found that private time with Cater that he had been longing for. The clouds around them and the distance between each dragon gave them privacy from their friends.

'This is soo cool!' Cater squealed, closing her eyes as she let the cool air brush against her face.

'Hey Cater,' Eight began, 'I was wondering… If it's okay to let the others know that we're… umm… dating?'

Cater grinned at Eight's awkward request. 'You must be jealous of Ace and Deuce~'

'No- it's not that…' Eight stuttered, 'It's just… there's nothing to hide or be ashamed of, is there?'

'Nope,' Cater agreed, 'I don't really mind them knowing. It's just that I don't know how to break the news either. "Hey look, I'm dating someone right now," or "Do you know that Eight and I are…" It just feels weird, considering we knew each other for so long.'

Eight grinned back this time. 'It's not really a problem is it?'

…

Back on the ground, Eight held his hand out for Cater as she got off the dragon. He did not release it even as they walked; prompting Cater's and his own face to turn a deep shade of red. But to their absolute amazement, none of their classmates mentioned anything about it. Some of them grinned at the shy couple but no teasing or questions came.

They toured the rustic village of Roshana together, and until lunchtime came, their hands were still firmly interlocked. The class chose a simple outdoor diner for lunch and it was when they were seated that Sice made a comment about them.

'So how long has it been?' Sice casually asked, smirking as she took a piece of bread. Cater's face seemed to blend in with her hair while Sice enjoyed the reaction she got from her simple question.

'Quite some time…' Eight softly muttered.

'You know you didn't have to ask, Sice!' Jack burst out guffawing.

'It was waaayyy before the exams, right~?' Cinque chirped happily.

'Wait!' Eight suddenly bolted upright, 'you guys knew!?'

'It was quite obvious,' Seven said, giggling softly, 'Machina and Rem saw you two at the café in Acuvi, Naghi saw you at Couple Road and there is always someone saying that he or she saw you two holding hands around the school.'

This time, Eight and Cater's faces turned so red that steam seemed to be coming out from their ears.

'There was no need to hide it, you know,' King chuckled in his deep voice.

'Awwww~ you guys should've said something!' Cater groaned exasperatedly, causing the whole class to burst out laughing.

…

That night, Eight and Cater shared the private time they had longed for. Seated on the flat rooftops of the inn, they stared at the beautiful night scenery. Being above the clouds, the view of the starry horizon was unblocked and the moon shone brightly above them. They sat in silence for a long while, hands clenched at the side, enjoying the moment.

'Hey, Eight,' Cater softly said, 'I… I think I never gave you a proper answer…' Eight looked at her perplexedly as she drew a deep breath before continuing, 'I never really told you how I felt… I… What I want to say is… that I really… like you too.'

If it was even remotely possible, Eight's heart would have jumped out of his throat. It was beating so furiously that Eight thought he might get a heart attack soon. It took him a few seconds to calm himself down and look straight at Cater to say, 'Th… Thank you, Cater.'

Cater smiled happily at his reaction and without warning, wrapped her arms around his neck and said, 'Let's stay like this forever!'

The closeness of their faces made Eight's heart pump even more rapidly. It took Cater a few seconds later to realize the same, and yet both of them remained silent, staring at each other. Inch by inch, their lips drew closer…

They were barely an inch apart when a loud thump was heard. Shocked, they quickly turned around to see Nine crumpled on the floor and Jack, behind him, raising both his hands in surrender.

'Sorry!' Jack said as he grinned sheepishly.

'What the hell!? You pushed me too hard!' Nine complained loudly, massaging his forehead.

Once Eight has recovered from his shock, he shouted angrily at the intruding pair, 'what are you guys doing!?'

'Sorry! Didn't mean to! Was passing by!' Jack quickly said before running off, not even bothering to wait for Nine.

Cater caught hold of Nine who was still seated on the ground whilst Eight ran after Jack. It did not take too long before the fastest runner in the class caught up with the guilty prankster. Pinned down on the floor, Jack writhed, 'Okay, okay! I give up! Sorry about disturbing you back there.'

'Say that ten more times,' Eight said as he grinned victoriously.

'Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry… Wait how many times was that?' Jack asked, but he too cannot contain his laughter and the two friends collapsed on the ground laughing.

'What exactly are you two doing?' Seven asked as she and the rest of their classmates arrived to investigate the source of the commotion. Nine and Cater had arrived as well with Nine now massaging his cheek which was apparently pinched by Cater.

'It's nothing~' Jack cheerfully said, 'just some nighttime joke~'

The rest of the class looked bewildered but decided that there was no point in pursuing the issue in the middle of the night. Slowly, they all returned to their rooms. When Jack, Nine, Eight and Cater were left alone, Nine began complaining to Cater.

'Whaddyapinchmefor?' He asked, still massaging his cheek.

'Serves you right~' Cater said with her hands on her hips, satisfied with her little masterpiece on Nine's cheek.

'Well we're gonna leave you two to continue that thing just now~' Jack said as he dragged Nine by the arm, and the two soon disappeared into their rooms.

When the two were left alone, they quickly blushed again before stammering, 'Maybe it's not such a good time…', '…Maybe tomorrow…', '…let's go to bed…'

And when they finally caught each other's eyes, they cannot help smiling exasperatedly at their classmates' antics. Silently thankful at the peace they finally got, Cater let Eight take her hand as they walked down the corridor to their rooms together.


	5. Chapter 5

'Oh, is that how it is in Rubrum?' A pretty Concordian girl asked excitedly, while her friend's eye widened in amazement.

'Yep,' Jack said, 'Quite different from what you have here in Concordia.' And the two girls both squealed in excitement at Jack's story.

'Tell us more!' The other girl requested. Jack frowned as he searched through his mind for something else that would amaze the girls. His eyes fell on a shadow when he turned to his surroundings for inspiration. It was a familiar shadow, one that he has known for almost all his life. Seven was watching him from afar.

'Excuse me for a while ladies,' he said with a wink as he approached his watchful classmate.

'The whole class thought you had lost your way,' Seven said. Jack embarrassedly scratched his head as he grinned apologetically. 'We're heading to a restaurant a few streets away from here,' Seven informed him, 'Are you coming?'

'Of course!' Jack immediately exclaimed. He will not content to missing a meal, even at the expense of the girls he had just met. He hurriedly rushed back to bid the Concordian girls farewell before running after Seven.

Along the way, Jack animatedly told Seven about the Concordian girls and their wonder at his stories about Rubrum. Seven listened intently, but did not express more than a mild interest in the squealing girls. After all, Seven has gotten far too used to Jack flirting with a dozen other girls around the school compound.

First there was Aki from Class 1; then her sister, Fuyu; and there was also Koharu from Class 7; not to mention other girls whose names Seven was sure Jack himself could not remember. Being in Class 0, the elite class of the Peristylium, had garnered them reputation and fame by default, and Jack had made that an advantage in his flirting endeavors.

'Jack,' Seven suddenly cut him off, 'Why don't you stick to one girl?'Jack went speechless at this sudden question. Looking at his dumbfounded face, Seven continued, 'I don't think having a dozen girls to flirt and date makes you happy. Don't you feel lonely?'

It was Seven's extraordinary capability of reading other people's emotions making another bull's eye mark. Back when they were little, Jack's constant laughter had fooled everyone around him, everyone but Seven. In truth, his happy façade was no more than a defense mechanism he built to hide the pain of losing his family.

And right now, Seven had managed to successfully deduce that he was in fact lonely despite the constant companionship of random girls. Jack had realized it himself; despite their fascination of him, none of the girls can be counted on to remain truly loyal to him; none of them understood anything more about him other than the fact that he was always friendly and cheerful.

Mustering his strength to put his happy mask back on, Jack said in his usual carefree tone, 'I'll think about it.'

…

The following night, Jack and Nine had tailed Eight out of their bedroom and to the rooftops where he met Cater. The blissful couple would have kissed had Nine not stumbled out of the door. After a series of scuffles in the corridors, Jack and Nine had finally left their lovey-dovey classmates alone in the corridor.

'Guess you got caught?' Ace casually said with a smirk when Jack and Nine returned to the boys' room.

'We wouldn't have had this idiot not pushed me,' Nine grumbled, still massaging his swollen cheek which Cater had pinched.

'You shouldn't have snooped around either,' Trey said, chuckling as he flipped a page of his book.

'Hey, Ace,' Jack suddenly said, 'how does it feel dating Deuce? I mean, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we? To suddenly be dating isn't it weird?'

Ace gave him a thoughtful look before saying, 'Well, maybe because we've known each other for so long that we understand each other better. I'm not trying to compare Deuce and Mutsuki, but I have to say Deuce understands me a lot better.'

'Yeah but to flirt, hold hands and…kiss?'Jack said hesitantly.

'Who do you have in mind, Jack?' King asked before Ace could reply.

'No one,' Jack said, a little too quickly. King arched an eyebrow as Jack continued, 'It's just that I've been dating girls from other classes, so I don't really get how it feels dating someone close.'

'It's kind of more special actually,' Ace said, 'Because you're putting your friendship at stake when you start dating, you have to really be serious about it.'

Jack collapsed on his bed with Ace's words still echoing in his ears. His mind wandered to all the girls he had dated. None of them were serious. They usually went on a couple of dates, hung around the Peristylium together and one way or another, they would break-up. Sometimes it was because his partner got jealous at other girls; other times it was because of Jack's lack of attention and commitment. He thought about Koharu from Class 7. He has been dating her for a couple of weeks, and yet ever since the term break started and she returned to her family, Jack had never written a single letter or called her house.

With a deep sigh, he cursed himself for the great toll Seven's words had struck on him and soon fell asleep.

…

On their last night in the Kingdom of Concordia, the whole class was invited to the palace for a party, held personally by the Queen Andoria. Celestia has provided the class with Concordian outfits for the party. The girls wore robes with large sleeves and intricately decorated belts along with beautiful hairpins. The boys too wore robes, but with more fitted sleeves, and loose hakama pants.

It was a warm, cozy party attended only by them and a number of high ranked officials in the Concordian government, including the Elite Knights of Akatoki to which Celestia belonged. Some of the officials had expressed their acquaintance to Khalia and other members of the Rubrum government. Another member of the Akatoki, Yuzuki, had also joined them and Celestia as they talked about their respective cultures.

Queen Andoria drew amazed breaths from the audience as she entered the room. She was dignified and beautiful in appearance, as well as graceful in her actions.

'Class 0 of Rubrum, welcome to Concordia,' Andoria politely greeted the class. The rest of the class bowed their respects but she waved them up. 'I am glad that you can make it to this party. I respect Master Khalia a lot and as such it is my honor to have you here tonight.'

'The pleasure is ours, Your Majesty,' Ace replied, representing the class.

'I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Concordia,' Andoria said, smiling as the whole class nodded their agreement. 'Please do enjoy the party,' she said as she left the class to talk to a government official.

'Hey, hey, let's dance!' Jack said excitedly when a band started playing. He spontaneously grabbed Deuce by the hand and dragged her to the dance floor. Ace simply shook his head as he smiled at Deuce's confused look.

Pair by pair, other members of the class joined them. Ace took Queen, Cinque dragged King, Trey asked Seven, Cater pulled Nine and Eight invited Sice. They twisted, twirled and switched partners throughout the night. Seven had turned pink when Jack placed his hands around her for a waltz set, but Jack found it a rather refreshing reaction from the generally calm and cool Seven.

Queen, on the other hand, had turned the deepest shade of red when Nine did the same to her. Yet, Nine extraordinarily did not make any comments about it but smirked as he led the stunned class president across the dance floor.

A few other memorable scenes dotted the fun night. Ace had lifted and twirled Deuce around in mid-air and King had held Sice as she arched her back gracefully. The night ended with a stunning display of fireworks, clearly visible through the tall arches of the palace ballroom.

Without realizing it until the display was over, Jack had gripped Seven's hand tightly, lost in a dreamy world of wonder.

…

'We're baaackkk~' Jack hollered as the class burst into the Headmaster Khalia's study.

Khalia smiled at the sight of his foster children and put down his fountain pen. 'Welcome back. How was Concordia?'

'Gorgeous!'

'Beautiful!'

'Awesome!'

'Breathtaking!'

And they soon proceeded to tell the story of the whole vacation to Khalia. The Headmaster listened intently, his bright eyes twinkling with amusement at the enthusiasm of Class 0.

'We got you something!' Cater exclaimed as she motioned Queen to bring forward the large package she was holding.

Their souvenir for their beloved mentor was an intricately embroidered robe. It was midnight blue with hand-embroidered dragon patterns, and when the Headmaster tried it on, it suit the elderly man perfectly well.

'I knew it!' Cater cried, 'I knew it would be perfect on you!'

'Hey, we all picked it together!' Nine protested.

'Speaking of which, there is a legend behind such robes in Co-' Trey began but was cut off by all his other classmates before he could embark on another lecture regarding the Concordian dressing culture.

'I'm sorry to disturb you, Headmaster, but the meeting is starting soon.' An elderly lady with brown hair tied in a bun appeared at the doorway. Class 0 recognized her as a member of the Suzaku Parliament, the Cadetmaster in charge of Logistics within the Peristylium.

'I'll be right there,' Khalia told her and the Cadetmaster took her leave. 'I'm sorry children, I'm afraid we'll have to continue this some other day. By the way,' he said as he took out a number of envelopes from his drawer, 'these are letters for you.'

Back in their assigned classroom, Queen sorted the letters. There was a letter from Rem for the whole class which read:

_Dear Class 0, _

_I hope you are doing well. I received Deuce's letter telling me that you are heading for Concordia. It must be so fun! Wish I could be there too. You have to tell me and Machina all about Concordia the next time we meet. It's been a really pleasant vacation. Mom and Dad made me so much food that I am afraid I'll grow too fat. By the way, there's going to be a night bazaar here at Iscah in about a fortnight. I really hope all of you can make it. You can stay at my house or Machina's house for a few days and we can all go together. I look forward to seeing you soon!_

_ Love,_

_ Rem_

_P.S: Ace, Machina wants to know how Chichiri is doing. _

'That chocobo-headed bastard,' Nine gruntled, 'He didn't ask how the rest of us are doing, just the chocobo!' The rest of the class laughed at Nine's reaction but did not take it to heart that Machina "missed" asking about them simply because they understood too well that Machina is too shy and proud to show his affections.

Among other letters in the stack, there was a postcard from Mutsuki for Ace (which Deuce eyed anxiously), a letter from Quon to Queen (detailing the books he had read all summer), another postcard with the scenery of Lorica at its back for Class 0 from Ryid, a letter from Naghi (which detailed all the juicy gossips of various students of the Peristylium), fan mails from junior students for Seven and a letter from Koharu to Jack.

The boys wolf-whistled when they saw the letter addressed to Jack but Jack refused to open the letter under the watchful eyes of his classmates and pocketed it instead.

Back in the privacy of the dormitory, Jack opened the letter. It read:

_Dear Jack,_

_How are your holidays? Mine was lovely. I missed my family so much and now that I finally have the time to spend with them, I'm really happy. The other day, my brother asked me if I have a boyfriend. I didn't know what to tell him, Jack. Are you really my boyfriend? I don't want to force you into anything, but I really hope you'll give me a proper answer. I look forward to seeing you again. _

_ Love,_

_ Koharu _

Koharu's letter only served to confuse Jack even more. He never seriously considered naming one particular girl his girlfriend, and as his mind wandered around Koharu, he could not picture himself being committed to her and her only.

Troubled and perplexed by the need to give Koharu a proper answer, Jack left the dormitory and wandered around the hallways aimlessly.

'Jack?' a familiar voice he could not immediately recognize called out to him. He turned to come face to face with Emina Hanaharu, a teacher who is also Izana Kunagiri's girlfriend. 'So Class 0's back from their little vacation~ May I ask why you're alone?' Emina asked flirtatiously. Jack was too used to the pretty teacher's charm on the male population and as such overlooked the provocative overtone.

'Hey, Miss,' Jack said as he suddenly remembered Emina's background. She too had never been serious with any man before Machina's brother. 'What made you choose to settle with Izana? You could've dated anyone you wanted.'

Emina smiled at his question. 'This is the first time anyone asked me that. I'm a teacher you know!' she said teasingly. 'Well… I think I realized how important Izana meant to me. That I'd hate for him to flutter around other girls the way I fluttered around other guys. He… understood me well… He's kind and sensible and he made me think, that maybe, commitment wasn't such a bad thing after all.' She answered Jack's question with the gentle air of a woman who is proud of her one and only boyfriend, something Jack never thought existed within the flirtatious teacher.

'So how do you choose who you want to commit to?' Jack asked again.

'You don't choose,' Emina said, wisely, 'You'll just know it. Surely a name must be fluttering in your mind right now?' As she teased him with that last question, Jack's face reddened almost instantly, something Jack was normally incapable of doing.

'Ah! I gotta go! I'll think about it! Thank you Emina!' Jack hurriedly said before rushing off, leaving Emina with a pleased grin on her face.

…

'Hey, Jack?' Seven asked as she stepped out to the terrace, a high balcony-like facility overlooking the entire Peristylium. The setting sun cast a beautiful shade of vermilion on the entire school, as well as on Jack and Seven themselves.

Jack smiled at Seven who had just arrived and gestured to the setting sun, 'beautiful, isn't it?'

'Jack,' Seven chuckled, 'surely you didn't call me here just to look at the sunset?'

'Nope,' Jack said, 'Not when you can see it every other day. I wanted to talk to you, Seven. About what you said back in Concordia…' Seven looked at him, bewildered, but waited patiently as Jack continued, 'About having lots of girls? Well, I've been thinking about it, and I guess… you can say that I've made up my mind.'

'Made up your mind?' Seven gently asked.

'Yep~' Jack said with the biggest smile plastered on his face. 'I've made up my mind… that it's you I want to commit to, Seven. It's you I want to stick to and settle down with.'

Seven's purple eyes widened at the startling confession Jack made. 'I, I… I don't know what to say, Jack.'

'You don't have to,' Jack said, smiling gently this time as he placed one hand on Seven's chin and leaned in to kiss her. It was warm, gentle and sincere; it was Jack's most honest feelings to a girl he realized he could not live without; the girl who could look through all his masks; the girl who has always stayed by his side. Even the sun seemed to be supporting the union as its orange glows cast playful shadows behind the pair.

When they finally let go, Seven smiled sweetly and said, 'Thank you, Jack.'

It was all she needed to say for her mutual feelings for him had been poured out in the gentle intensity of the kiss. Smiling his most genuine smile, Jack wrapped his arm around Seven as they watched the sunset together in blissful silence.


	6. Chapter 6

'Machina,' Rem greeted her childhood friend when he arrived at her doorstep to pick her up. 'Just wait for a moment. I'll be done soon.' She invited him in and went back to her room to pick up her things. They were getting ready to welcome their classmates' arrival to their hometown of Iscah.

Iscah was a large town on the northern area of the Suzaku Fiefdom of Rubrum. While it was nowhere near as bustling as the city of McTighe in the Rubrum Region, Iscah is still the most important town in the area, a business hub for the Iscah Region. Besides, it was nearly time for the annual summer festival that Iscah was renowned for.

As Rem and Machina walked down the busy streets of Iscah, they excitedly talked about all the possible things they could do with their classmates.

'I'd like to take Ace to the chocobo ranch on the outskirts of town,' Machina said enthusiastically.

'Oh it's all chocobos with you and Ace!' Rem said, pretending to sound exasperated.

'Deuce would probably want to come too, so why don't you come along?' Machina suggested. Rem smiled at the invitation and nodded happily.

Twelve members of Class 0 arrived on an airship, landing a little beyond the boundaries of the town. Cinque was the first to emerge from the airship as she hurriedly bobbed down the steps to greet Machina and Rem. She was soon followed by her eleven classmates; all looking pleased and excited to be able to visit Iscah.

They chatted rowdily along their way back to Machina and Rem's houses which were side by side, filling Machina and Rem in on all that has happened ever since the term break started barely a month ago. The romance gossip column, especially, seemed to have increased by a substantial amount ever since they last met.

'So you two are dating now?' Rem asked Jack and Seven as her eyes widened in disbelief. Theirs was one pairing she had never foreseen.

'Yep~' Jack said as he proudly wrapped his arm around Seven. Seven turned pink but smiled anyway.

They were also amused by Eight and Cater's decision to go public with their long secret relationship. The pair blushed feverishly when Machina and Rem said that they have known their secret for ages.

…

Machina and Rem's houses are nice, cozy town houses at the center of the town. The girls were to stay at Rem's while Machina provided space for the boys to stay. Rem's mother greeted them as they approached the house.

'Welcome to Iscah,' The kindly lady said, 'we've been expecting you.' Much like Rem, her mother had the same burgundy hair and the same kind face. Her father, on the other hand, was a tall, rugged man with dark brown hair and the same bright red eyes that Rem has. A man of few words, he simply nodded to show his acknowledgement of his daughter's friends.

'My parents aren't back yet,' Machina told them, 'it'd be better if you lot stay at Rem's house first. We'll have dinner together and you guys can come home with me later.'

While they were helping Rem's mother prepare dinner, Rem plastered a huge grin on her face and asked Deuce, 'Hey, how are things with Ace going?'

Deuce almost dropped the pot of soup in her surprise. 'Wha-' Deuce said, turning pink in her face, 'It's going well. He's really sweet.' The other girls in the kitchen, including Cater, Seven and Sice immediately turn to eye the loving look that Deuce has while she said that. 'Oh! Don't tease me like that!' Deuce said, blushing even deeper while the rest of the girls laughed.

'How about you, Rem?' Sice asked as she peeled the potatoes. 'Did anything happen between you and Machina?' This time it was Rem's turn to turn beet red.

'Nothing,' she quickly said, 'nothing happened.' She instantly regretted the tone of her voice for the other girls gave knowing looks at the disappointment she accidentally showed. 'We're just childhood friends,' Rem said, trying her best to sound as cheerful as usual.

'So are the rest of us,' Seven said, smiling gently. 'It's okay to be scared, Rem.'

Rem smiled at the encouragement but decided that it was time to let the matter rest for now. 'I'll go and see how Cinque and the others are doing at the backyard.'

…

As the afternoon grew late, Machina's family finally arrived. Izana Kunagiri, his older brother, was a familiar face to Class 0. He was also a close friend of Ace, as well as their teacher, Emina Hanaharu's boyfriend. A driven young man, he has rapidly scaled the ranks of the Rubrum army.

Their father was a lot like Izana, tall, warm and friendly, while Mrs. Kunagiri was a lot more soft-spoken than her husband. Both of them welcomed the class warmly while also exchanging familiar greetings with Rem's parents.

…

Dinner was as fun and warm as possible. Both Rem's and Machina's parents were so friendly and kind that Class 0 had no problems mingling with them. They listened intently to their stories about life in the Peristylium and they, in turn, told the rest of the class about Machina and Rem as kids, much to their embarrassment.

'Dad! You don't have to tell them about that!' Machina groaned after Mr. Kunagiri told the class about a time when Machina used a red blanket as a cape, expressing his dream of becoming part of Class 0, except with the unnecessary addition of a gaudy mask.

'Why not?' Mr. Kunagiri laughed heartily, 'Look where you are now! You managed to get a real red cape.'

'The mask part was not necessary,' Machina said, 'I thought about masked heroes back then.'

'You said it was to protect Rem that you wanted to be a hero,' Mrs. Kunagiri said, smiling, 'I thought that was really sweet.'

The class went 'awwww~' at Mrs. Kunagiri's statement while both Machina and Rem turned scarlet.

'Rem also once borrowed an old lace tablecloth,' Mrs. Tokimiya piped in, 'She said it was to be a wedding veil.'

'Mom!' Rem exclaimed, blushing ten shades darker. Fortunately for Machina and Rem, Izana decided that it was time to stop the teasing and turned the topic to the eccentric scientist of the Peristylium, Kazusa.

…

After dinner, the boys headed back with Machina's family to their house next door while the girls were led to Rem's room. It was located on the second floor of the house and was decorated in various shades of pink, lace and plush toys. In addition, she had furnished her room with six additional mattresses. Cinque immediately got excited at the sight of the plush toys and swiftly grabbed a moogle doll as she sat down on one of the mattresses.

'I'll be sleeping here~' she said cheerfully, and all the other girls quickly grabbed their preferred spots.

That night, excited at the reunion, they spent a long while talking before going to sleep. Rem told them of all the plans she and Machina made for the class and about the upcoming festival.

'It's going to be really fun,' Rem said enthusiastically, 'there is a bazaar, a contest and there are various traditions. There's one where you write down your wishes and hang them up a tree. There's another where you light up a lantern with you and your partner's name written on it and release them to the sky. It is said to grant everlasting happiness.'

'Have you ever lit one with Machina?' Cinque asked curiously.

'Wha- No, of course not! We aren't a couple!' Rem refuted and quickly continued regarding the traditions of Iscah, 'There's one concerning a particular tree where you can stand under it and it is said that the first person to greet you under that tree is your soul mate.'

'Did Machina greet you under that tree before?' this time, the question came from Cater.

Rem sank under her blankets. They were probably about six years old when it happened, and Rem had not known about the tradition yet. She happened to be standing under that tree, admiring the falling autumn leaves when Machina came and asked her to play. When she heard about the folklore, she thought that perhaps it was a mere coincidence since she had not known about it when Machina called her.

Thankfully, the rest of the girls did not pursue it when Rem did not reply. Instead, they talked about all the possible food and games in the bazaar until they finally fell asleep.

…

The next day, Rem's mother suggested that they go shopping for clothes to wear to the festival that night, saying that they should look as pretty as possible. Before setting off, they stopped by Machina's house to check on the boys.

'We'll catch up with you for lunch,' Machina said when Rem informed him about their shopping trip, 'we're gonna do our own shopping and touring.'

The girls' tensions mounted to a peak when Rem led them to a street filled with pretty boutiques. They were so engrossed in all the lovely clothes available that they almost forgotten their schedule to meet up with the boys for lunch.

They returned early to the house that afternoon to prepare themselves for the festival. Rem had chosen a pale blue blouse with puffed sleeves, a navy blue pleated skirt and short white heels. Deuce, too, looked gorgeous in a peach-colored floral printed dress with brown boots. Cinque had on a bright yellow dress with tiered skirt and white sash tied into a bow at her waist. Her hair has been let down with only a small strand braided around her head. Cater, on the other hand, wore a frilled fuchsia top with denim shorts. Sice wore black shorts, a white tank top and black leather jacket while Seven wore a pair of jeans with a fitted blue top.

But the greatest change came in the form of Queen.

The class president had chosen to leave her glasses behind and have her hair done in a messy low side bun. It was intricately decorated with floral clips and tiny braids by Deuce and Rem. She wore an emerald green dress with flared chiffon skirt matched with a white floral printed scarf and white heels.

'Don't look at me like that,' she said, turning pink when the girls stared at their stunning class president.

'Nine's gonna fall head over heels for you!' Cater said, still looking awestruck as Queen turned away in embarrassment.

…

They met the boys in the town square where the bazaar was already beginning. In fact, Jack, Nine and Eight had already gotten themselves several sticks of grilled meat, a cone of ice-cream and a cup of baked corn.

Ace, dressed smartly in a casual navy blue shirt on top of a white tee and a pair of khakis, walked forward to greet Deuce. He gently kissed her on the forehead before taking her hand and excused themselves from their classmates. They were soon followed by Jack who led Seven away and Eight who invited Cater.

Trey looked nervous as he asked Cinque if she wanted to grab something to eat, to which Cinque happily agreed. Sice, on the other hand, casually grabbed King by the arm and the two walked away without a word.

Now that only Machina, Rem, Nine and Queen were left, the awkwardness could strongly be felt. Nine almost could not recognize Queen as she stood before him.

'Whoa- Queen!?' Nine said as he scratched his head awkwardly with several sticks of grilled meat still on his other hand, 'you look… different.'

'Is it a bad thing?' Queen softly asked, not daring to look at him in the eye.

'What? A bad thing? Of course not!' Nine quickly said, 'you look pretty.' He grinned encouragingly at the blushing Queen and whispered in her ear, 'Let's leave these two alone.' Nine casually waved goodbye at Machina and Rem before leading the dumbstruck Queen away.

Left alone by their classmates, Rem and Machina had no choice but to join in the celebrations with just each other. The joy and festivities quickly erased the awkwardness and soon they were chatting happily as usual.

They came to a halt when they passed by a stall selling lanterns. Those were the lanterns which Rem told the girls about the night before, the one on which they would write their names and release them altogether to the sky.

'Hey, Machina?' Rem said, looking at the lanterns, 'Do you remember when you promised to marry me when we were kids?'

'Wha- Oh, a little…' Machina stammered, 'we were so young back then…'

'Really?' Rem said teasingly, 'I was actually pretty happy you said that.'

'Rem…'

'I like you, Machina,' Rem said, smiling even though she was trying her best to keep control of her voice. 'You mean so much to me. I really feel you should know.'

Dumbstruck, Machina stared blankly at her, and when she could not fathom the look on his face, she broke into a run.

'Rem!' Machina called out, but she continued running, letting her feet make the decision of where to go. She stopped when she reached a rather secluded spot underneath a large tree. Left alone with her thoughts, she cursed herself for confessing and running off just like that. Machina's shocked look scared her. She feared what Machina's answer would be.

'Rem!' Machina's voice could be heard calling out to her. She braced herself to face Machina before turning around, only to come face to face with a concerned Machina who was holding a lantern in his hands.

'I'm sorry,' Machina said, 'I meant to tell you the same, but when you said it first, you took me by surprise. I like you too, Rem.' Machina blushed red as he showed the lantern in his hand, on it was written 'Machina Kunagiri' and 'Rem Tokimiya'.

Rem stood stunned for a few seconds before finally wrapping her arms around Machina. She knew how difficult it was for the shy and proud Machina to confess his feelings. Pleasantly surprised, Machina placed one arm around her as his other hand released the lantern into the sky. It was soon joined by dozens of other lanterns, decorating the starlit summer sky with twinkling lights of hope and love.

It took Rem a full day before she finally realized that the tree they were under was the same tree she had stood under when they were six…


	7. Chapter 7

The beginning of a new school term marked a bittersweet moment for all the students. While for the most part they are glad to see their friends again, the teachers spared no time briefing the students with their new training schedules and study outlines.

Loud cries of agony rang throughout Class 0's assigned classroom when Kurasame handed them their schedules for the term.

'Wait! Are you serious about this!?' Nine shouted out when he saw his timetable, 'Arena training three times a week AND magic training another three times a week!? That's more than last term's!'

Kurasame sternly looked at him and said through his mask, 'there is no mistake about it, Nine. You have to prepare for the national examinations held at the end of this school year.' In addition to Nine, Kurasame proceeded to stare down Jack and Cinque who both slumped on their desks at the intensity of his gaze. 'I expect a lot of you as the top class in this academy. So does the Headmaster.'

Nine pouted at Kurasame's warning and sat back down as Kurasame began the lesson. He found it extremely difficult to concentrate on his studies after two fun-filled months of holiday. Instead, he turned his attention towards other students in his class. Obviously, most of them faced the same difficulty.

Ace was staring out the window from his seat at the side of the class. Not that he always pays attention in class, but being the genius that he is, he never has any problems achieving top marks in every test. Sice was doodling on her book with her head propped on one hand while Jack was still slumping on his desk with his eyes staring blankly at Kurasame. Even Deuce and Rem looked restless. The only ones who were probably paying their full attention towards the lesson were Trey, Queen and Quon.

Looking at Queen's poised figure, Nine suddenly remembered how beautiful she looked at the summer festival at Iscah. He had dragged Queen away on the pretext of giving Machina and Rem some privacy, but Queen had been exceptionally restless the whole night. The profoundly dense Nine had failed to notice that Queen's restlessness had been the result of her nervousness at being paired up like a couple with Nine.

'Nine,' Kurasame's icy sharp voice snapped him out of his daydream, 'Name the most powerful wind magic.'

Jolted out of his thoughts in such an uncomfortable manner, Nine tried to recollect his lessons from the previous term. 'Err… Hurricane!' he confidently shouted out. The class burst out laughing while Queen, Quon and Trey mustered their whole strength to _not _slap their hands against their foreheads.

Kurasame eyed him icily and said, 'Write a one-page essay on the magic, _Tornado_. To be handed in tomorrow morning.'

'What!? Hey! You can't just do tha-' This time Nine really jolted upright at the extra assignment he has been given.

'Protest again and I'll make that a two-page essay,' Kurasame calmly warned him. 'It's time you get more serious about your studies, Nine.'

Accepting defeat, Nine slouched back down on his chair. First day of class and he has landed himself in extra homework. It was definitely not a good sign.

…

When the bell rang denoting lunch break, Nine quickly rushed to Queen's seat before she could leave for lunch with the other girls. 'Oi, Queen! Help me with that assignment, would you?' Nine asked, leaning in so close to Queen's face that she turned pink.

Pushing her glasses as she turned away from him, Queen fought to keep her calm under the intensity of his gaze and said, 'You've got to try and do your own homework once in a while, Nine.' Even during the past term, Queen had constantly had to check Nine's assignments before he handed them in.

But Nine waved her advice off and said, 'I've often tried them and the results are always bad. It's better if you help me.' Without waiting to listen to Queen's further protests, he had run off to join Jack and Eight.

…

That afternoon, Nine dragged himself to the library in the hopes of finding Queen there to help him with his assignment. He groaned before entering the library. It was certainly not his place of choice to spend the first afternoon of school.

He scoured shelf after shelf for the class president and finally caught side of her at one corner of the library. Nine almost leapt with joy when he saw her… until he saw who she was talking to. Queen was apparently discussing a book with Quon, the arrogant and antisocial transfer student. Smart as he is, Quon never overlooked any chance at vilifying Nine and his "crude" and "uneducated" behavior.

Scowling, he strained his ears to listen to their conversation before making an entrance.

'… the fundamentals of the magic is there…' Quon was saying.

'… that's the basic theory… Ultima on the other hand…' Queen said in response.

Nine soon felt that his eavesdropping was useless since he barely understood any of the terms that Queen and Quon were using.

'Oi! What're you doing here?' Nine said, directing his rough greeting at Quon.

'Ah, if it isn't the "hurricane" student here to do his first assignment of the term,' Quon sneered in return.

Nine quickly clenched his fist which Queen immediately noticed. 'Nine!' she reprimanded him, 'If you are here to do your homework, then go and do it!'

'I told you I need your help!' Nine protested. Queen sighed at Nine's incessant requests but nevertheless excused herself from Quon. This time, it was Quon's turn to scowl as Queen led Nine away.

…

'Nine,' Queen sighed as he finally scribbled the last line of his essay. 'You can't always depend on me for your assignments.'

'Wha-? Why not?' Nine asked innocently, 'You're my friend and you've been helping me for so long. You can't just quit now! Kurasame's gonna butcher me!'

Queen massaged her temples at his reply. Shaking her head, she said, 'Why don't you start by paying more attention in class?'

…

In the days that followed, Kurasame had proven the severity of his words at the beginning of the term. The tremendous pile of homework and tests, as well as the harshness of the training they faced were beginning to take its toll on the students.

Meanwhile, Nine still had not overcome his bad habit of submitting every assignment to Queen for screening before handing them in to Kurasame. Having Nine's assignments, and not to mention extra assignments, on top of her own workload, Queen became exceedingly irritable.

She spent most of her days in the library accompanied only by Quon. Nine, noticing this new trend, subconsciously became agitated at every mention of Queen and Quon. He had even came close to flaring up, had it not been for King and Deuce's interference, when Carla approached him to ask if Queen and Quon are dating.

He began frequenting the library, but knowing Queen's recent tendency to flare up at mild disturbances, kept a distance while she and Quon discussed various complex topics. Occasionally he would make up excuses, such as bearing a message from Moglin, to talk to Queen and spite Quon. But when the excuses get lamer and lamer, Queen, in turn, get annoyed at him, feeling that he was acting childish and came only to exact an unfounded vendetta against Quon.

…

One such afternoon, while he was loitering in the library, he spied Quon placing a hand on Queen's forehead. While he did not understand why he felt so agitated, it did not stop him from charging forward at his classmates.

'Oi! What are you doing!?' Nine hollered at Quon.

Shocked as he was at first, Quon quickly regained his composure and was about to counter Nine with a snide remark of his own before Queen stepped in. 'Nine! Stop acting so childishly! What is it with you constantly coming in here just to make some sarcastic comment!?' she shouted, no longer caring that she was in the library.

'I don't like him.' Nine muttered.

'See,' Queen said, all her regular composure seemed to have vanished, 'That's how childish you are!'

'I don't like it either that you're siding with such an idiot!' Nine said, his temper escalating. By then, people had flocked to watch the argument between the Class 0 members.

'You call someone an idiot for no good reason and you expect me to side with you!?' Queen shouted disbelievingly.

'If you side with him then you're an idiot as well!' Nine roared, fuming.

He instantly regretted his words as Queen stared angrily at him before turning to leave the library. 'Grow up, Nine,' she seethed as she passed by him.

…

Queen was nowhere to be found the rest of that afternoon. And even as night fell, nobody knew her whereabouts.

'Nine, have you seen Queen?' Deuce asked worriedly late that night, 'She hasn't returned to the dorm yet.'

'No, I haven't…' Nine muttered, feeling a pang of guilt built up inside his stomach. Even Quon stated that he did not know where Queen went.

As Deuce talked to the rest of the boys in the dormitory about Queen's disappearance, Nine rushed out without another word.

…

He went to every place he expected Queen to be; the library, the cafeteria, the terrace, the refresh room, their backyard and even the cemetery, but he found no trace of Queen. His anxiety escalating by the minute, Nine scoured every possible area in the Peristylium.

_Shit! I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her,_ he thought as he clenched his fists furiously. He proceeded to ask every guard guarding the Peristylium entrance if they had seen Queen leave, to which they expressed uncertainty. Since his search within the Peristylium yielded no results, Nine left the Peristylium.

His heart soared at the sight of a familiar figure on the long bridge leading away from the Peristylium. However, his relief quickly vanished when the figure, seemingly unwell and wobbly, fell over the railings into the waters below. Without thinking twice, Nine jumped in after the figure into the icy sea water several feet below the stone bridge.

How Nine had managed to successfully save Queen from the waters in the dark of the night was anybody's guess. By some miracle that even Nine himself cannot explain, he had found Queen, saved her and carried her back to the Peristylium.

…

'She has a fever,' Emina said as she took care of Queen at the school infirmary. 'Probably the reason she got dizzy and fell off the bridge. I think she pushed herself too much.' Nine, still soaking wet, refused to leave the unconscious Queen behind. Instead, Emina had given him a towel to dry himself and a fresh change of clothes.

The class has been notified that Queen has been found, but to prevent the flocking of students at the infirmary so late into the night, Emina had deliberately omitted the part where she fell off the bridge.

'She should come to tomorrow morning,' Emina said, 'you should rest too.'

'I'll rest here. Don't worry 'bout me.' Nine replied as Emina left the room. In the silence that Emina left behind, fatigue began to take over Nine as he instantly fell asleep by Queen's bed.

…

Nine was still asleep when Queen came to the following morning. Remembering only bits and pieces of her near death experience the night before, the last thing she remembered was Nine grabbing her hand in the icy cold sea water.

'You're awake,' Emina whispered as she came in to check on Queen, careful not to wake Nine up. 'You should be thankful. He not only saved your life. He waited the whole night here.'

Queen looked at Emina, dumbfounded, before averting his gaze to the snoring Nine. Once Emina has concluded that her fever has gone down substantially, she left the room. Unable to resist the urge, Queen stroked Nine's blonde head gently, smiling gratefully at the sleeping youth.

Nine grunted, apparently awakened by Queen's affectionate gesture. Queen quickly drew back her hand, turning red in the face.

'Oh, yer awake,' Nine said groggily, rubbing his eyes. 'Feelin' better?'

'Yes, I am,' Queen said, still fighting to remain calm while her heart beat furiously. Nine eyed her silently for a long while before he seemingly concluded that Queen was all right and got up from his seat.

'I guess I better get going,' Nine said sheepishly, scratching his head as he did, 'Kurasame's gonna kill me if I missed class. Look Queen, I wanted to apologize, about what I said yesterday. You're not at any fault and if it's my fault that you got a fever, I'm sorry for that too.'

Queen gaped at Nine's apology. As he turned to leave the room, Queen shouted, 'Wait!' Nine turned back in surprise. Queen was staring down at her blankets, not daring to show Nine her beet red face.

'Thank you,' she finally whispered, 'for saving me and waiting for me. I'm sorry too I flared up at you.'

Nine smirked in response and said, 'Y'know, I've thought about it the whole time I was looking for you. That maybe… the reason I don't like Quon was because I was jealous.'

Queen perked up at Nine's words, 'jealous!?' she asked almost disbelievingly. Without another word, Nine had planted a kiss on the class president's lips. It was nothing more than a small peck, but it was enough to drive Queen to a maximum level of frenzy.

'Ni-Ni-Nine!' she exclaimed in a reprimanding tone. But soon, she was unable to contain her happiness at Nine's confession and smiled lovingly at the boisterous troublemaker.

Nine grinned as he said, 'I promise you I'll try to do my assignments myself.'

'You have to if you don't want me to fall sick again.' Queen said.

'But can I still spite Quon?' Nine asked.

'Oh, Nine!' Queen said exasperatedly but smiled anyway.

The two sat there laughing and joking in blissful happiness, forgetting all about Kurasame's class…


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter is probably the hardest to write. King and Sice hardly fit the romantic image and I had to check again and again to make sure they're not OOC. But forgive me if they do. :/

* * *

'I talked to him! I talked to him!'

'He's so cool!'

The delighted squeals of the girls annoyed Sice. The silver haired girl poked furiously at her chicken fillet, remembering her failed attempts at confessing to Class 0's masked instructor cum teacher, Kurasame Susaya.

The first time she had attempted to write a love letter, Seven had, at the most unfortunate moment, appeared out of the same corner, causing Kurasame to think it was meant for Seven instead. It took Sice a full hour before she could convince Seven that the said letter was not meant for her.

Another letter never even got near to reaching Kurasame. She had placed the letter within the pages of her magic textbook, only for King to borrow it. By the time Sice remembered about the letter, King had already seen it. King had returned the book with a knowing smile on his handsome features, seemingly fighting the urge to contain his amusement. Embarrassed, Sice had immediately torn the letter.

'Are you going to mince that fillet, Sice?' A deep voice broke her train of thoughts. King had brought his lunch and proceeded to sit opposite her. Sice pouted at the sarcasm as she scooped some of the crumbs into her mouth.

King merely smiled as he ate his own lunch. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Sice finally spoke up, 'Hey King, what do guys look for in a girl?'

King arched an eyebrow at Sice's question; it was one question he did not expect from the tomboy Sice. 'Compatibility, I guess,' King slowly said, 'So what do girls look for in a guy?'

Surprised at the reversal question, Sice frowned for a moment before saying, 'Maybe dependability.'

'I see,' King chuckled but said no more of the topic.

…

The general aura around the school had lightened up substantially ever since the examinations ended. Sice, however, had her own worries with regards to the examination results and the impending holidays.

She had worked her hardest at the examinations, in the hopes of getting Kurasame to notice her or perhaps even praise her for her hard work. But it proved impossibly hard when you have walking encyclopedias (a.k.a Trey) and geniuses (a.k.a Ace) in your class. When the results were announced, even Sice herself had failed to notice her own scores in the midst of everyone else's brilliant ones. Even Jack, Nine and Cinque's abysmal scores shone brighter than her average ones.

The holidays are an even bigger problem. While Kurasame stayed at the Peristylium to handle certain military affairs, the lack of a class to teach meant that Sice's chances of meeting him will substantially decrease. Feeling that her one last chance at a successful confession lies before the term break begins, Sice cracked her head to plan out the perfect strategy.

She wanted desperately to seek out some advice from people like Jack or Ace, but her obstinate and proud nature had forbidden her. Instead, she had taken to sneaking out to the library in the dead of the night to read psychology and romance books. On her third night out, she had succumbed to her fatigue and fallen asleep at the library, only to wake up the next morning with a blanket covering her.

…

On the last day of class, Sice had deliberately packed her belongings extremely slowly such that when her excited classmates had rapidly vacated the room, she was left alone with Kurasame. The masked teacher was calmly rechecking a few reports on the teacher's desk, oblivious to Sice's lingering presence.

With her bones seemingly crushed under her nerves, she summoned every ounce of her strength to walk up to Kurasame, in her hands, a fresh envelope.

As Sice neared him, Kurasame finally looked up from his reports. Her hands were shaking when she handed him the envelope and her face, up to even her ears, were tinted pink. Without having to open the envelope, Kurasame understood what she meant.

'I'm sorry…' he whispered, genuinely regretful. His generally icy eyes exuded a rare concern for his student.

Sice gave him a defeated smile before stammering, 'I, I- … Happy holidays!' And with that she had turned her back and rushed out of the classroom.

…

She sat on the bench at Class 0's private backyard, watching the lush green leaves of summer sway gently at the warm breeze. In her solitude she relinquished the pain she felt, a single tear sliding down her pale cheek.

When the door to the private sanctuary opened, she quickly brushed off the traces of the tear and turned to face her visitor. King's tall, muscular figure accentuated the doorway. He had probably come to look for her after the class noticed her disappearance. Reading the atmosphere, King said nothing but sat down on the bench beside Sice.

His firm build provided Sice with a quiet but comfortable sense of security as she leaned on his shoulder. Slowly, the pain she felt found a new feeling to complement it; a sense of liberation. Now that her feelings had reached Kurasame, she would not be bound by probabilities anymore.

As she savored the comfort a while longer, Sice failed to notice the small, gentle smile that formed on King's lips.

…

Ever since that day, Sice took inexplicable solace in King's company. His calm and comforting presence made Sice forget all about her anguish. They spent a lot of time in the private backyard, sometimes chatting happily, other times simply taking comfort in each other's presence. King would sometimes practice on his guitar at the backyard as Sice listened to the melodious pieces.

Sooner than she had expected, Sice had returned to her former self; laughing and joking with their friends; bickering with Nine; teasing Deuce or Cater. It was hard not to with all the exciting plans the class had drawn out for their long break.

There was a trip to the Kingdom of Concordia where they rode on dragons, visited rustic Concordian villages and even went to a party at the royal palace in Mahamayuri, Concordia's capital. And then there was also that trip to Iscah, Machina and Rem's hometown, where they attended the renowned summer festival. The whole class ended up touring in pairs and Sice, being too used to being with King by then, casually grabbed him by the arm and went on ahead, leaving the awkward pairs of Machina and Rem, as well as Nine and Queen.

The summer seemed to have flashed by in the blink of an eye, but it had served its purpose. By the time school had recommenced, Sice was completely comfortable with facing Kurasame in class.

…

Sice headed down to the arena one afternoon to find King, Nine, Trey, Cinque, Jack and Seven already there. They were to be given an endurance test later that week which tests them on the strength of their wall magic while Kurasame hurls multiple magic balls at it. Judging from her classmates' defeated looks, most of them were struggling with the training.

'Ouch!' Cinque yelped when Trey's fireball grazed her as her wall magic disintegrates.

'Try to concentrate, Cinque,' Trey patiently advised her, 'That was just the fourth fireball.'

Cinque pouted and set up another magical barrier, readying herself for Trey's fireballs. Jack too was having as much trouble, groaning as Seven's icicle shattered his wall for the umpteenth time.

'What the hell!?' Nine complained, 'How did Ace's last so long anyway!?'

'Heh? How can you hope to compare your incompetent one to Ace's?' Sice smirked as she joined him and King.

Nine growled at Sice's snide comment and said, 'Bet yours can't last as long either.'

'At least it's better than yours.' Sice retorted confidently as she fired a thunderbolt at Nine's newly cast wall. The magical barrier immediately showed signs of cracking.

'Woi!' Nine shouted at Sice as she laughed. Teasing Nine had always been one of her favorite hobbies, and as much as they bickered and sneered at each other, the two remained very good friends.

Even King smiled as he said, 'Nine, it would be better if you just recast that.'

…

Training was arduous and loud shattering noises kept filling the Arena. By the time the sky grew dark most of them had given up and returned to the main building for dinner. Until at last, only King, Nine and Sice remained.

Nine sat at one side of the Arena, watching as King fired fireballs at Sice's wall magic. When it shattered, Nine shouted at them, 'Hey, how long are you two gonna keep this up?'

'You can go ahead first if you want to, Nine,' Sice spat at him, recasting the magical barrier.

King merely shrugged at Nine to imply the same, but Nine remained behind anyway. He continued to sit there, legs crossed, watching the cracks in the transparent wall grow larger with every fireball, until he suddenly remarked, 'Hey, are you two together right now?'

Sice's wall immediately shattered as her concentration broke. 'What!?' she shouted at Nine.

'Just askin',' Nine casually said with a smirk, 'almost everyone in class's a couple now. Thought you two are too considering all the time you spent together.'

Sice went speechless but King merely scoffed and said, 'Don't compare us with you and Queen. Heard you already bought her Christmas present?'

Nine went red at King's reply. 'What's with that rumor!?' he barked but did not pursue his previous topic.

Yet those words stuck in Sice's mind even until midnight. _Surely people would not be expecting her to be a couple with King just because everyone already has their respective partners?_ She thought as she tossed around in her bed. She looked around at all the rest of the girls in her dormitory and began evaluating their respective relationships.

Seven is with Jack. The two had made it official ever since the term break and Seven understood Jack like none of his previous girlfriends. On the other hand, Jack also made the cool Seven laugh and relax more around him. Then there was Deuce. She and Ace is probably the cutest couple. Trey and Cinque never admitted to be officially dating, but considering how they were always together, their coupling came as a default for the rest of the class. Queen and Nine are always arguing with one another, but Sice could tell they are truly protective of each other. Machina and Rem? No arguments here. _Those lovebirds must have been married since they were children_, Sice thought.

Her mind then wandered to King. He is firm and dependable, much like Kurasame… but there is warmth in him that is never present in Kurasame. Smiling at the thought of King being masked like their instructor, Sice finally fell asleep.

…

With their hectic schedules, the days passed as though they were a passing wind. Therefore, when Kurasame announced a short break, the class was exhilarated.

'All of you did well for your test here,' Kurasame said, 'you can take the rest of the day and tomorrow off.'

This perked up all the students. 'Wait!' Nine exclaimed, 'When you mean "take the day off", does it mean no assignments as well!?'

'Did I give you any today, Nine?' Kurasame coolly replied. Cheers erupted in every corner of the class. They quickly made plans to go down to McTighe for some refreshments and shopping.

As the class scattered all around the shops in McTighe, Sice came across an intricate gun holster made of black leather. Immediately remembering King, she screened the area to show it to him. King, however, had gone somewhere with Trey and Jack, at least according to Carla. _Such a waste not to get it,_ Sice thought, and soon she was paying for the holster.

She did not, however, get the chance to show it to him until late that night when they returned to the Peristylium. Before King could return to the boys' dorm with the others, Sice called him. She deliberately waited until all their classmates had dispersed into their respective dorms before handing out the gift.

'Here,' she said, 'I got this for you.'

King stared at it for a moment and then turned to her and said, 'You shouldn't have. This must cost quite a bit.'

'Not really,' Sice said, casually shrugging and yet inside, her heart pounded harder for reasons she vaguely understood. 'Just thought it looks good.'

'It does,' King agreed, 'Thank you.'

'Well,' Sice said, flustered, 'Guess I'd better get back.'

As she turned to leave, King grabbed her hand. Surprised, she turned to find King staring fixedly at her. 'King…?' she whispered. But King did not say a word as he drew her closer and closer, without letting go of his grip. As if by instinct, Sice closed her eyes…

…

When she got back to her dormitory, Sice immediately rushed to her bed and drew the curtains around her bed, ignoring all the puzzled stares and questions of her classmates. She could have sworn that her cheeks were burning redder than Suzaku's flag.

However, as she buried herself deep inside her blankets, she could not help but smile when King's image floated into her mind…


End file.
